Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2016)
Page 8 The Skanner January 13, 2016 Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. How Popular Music is Fueling the Black Lives Matter Movement LONG BEACH, Calif — I still remember the first time I heard Lupe Fiasco’s “All Black Every- thing.” I was in my apart- ment in Davis, Calif., where I attended college. When I heard the words, I was reminded of the history of Black people in America. It made me want to learn even more about my history. Every- one has a sphere of influ- ence, and the music made me ask myself: “How am I using mine?” Since August 2014, when unarmed teenag- er Michael Brown was killed by police officer Darren Wilson in Fergu- son, Mo., young people have rallied in the streets of Ferguson, New York, Oakland, Los Angeles and other cities across the nation and the world. In Long Beach, young people recently began organizing around the slogan #BlackLivesMat- ter, a campaign born in 2012 after Trayvon Mar- tin’s killer, George Zim- PHOTO BY THECOMEUPSHOW (CC BY 2.0) By Deonna Anderson Special to the NNPA from VoiceWaves / New America Media J. Cole, shown here in London in 2011, released “Be Free” six days after Mike Brown’s death. He joins a growing number of recording artists providing a soundtrack for the Black Lives Matter movement. merman, was acquitted of murder charges. Throughout, music has been an undeniable part of the protests, the latest reminder that when used the right way, music can inspire social change. “Music can be consid- ered the heartbeat of social movements,” says Eric Tandoc, a DJ and a community organizer at the Filipino Migrant Center in Long Beach. Tandoc regularly uses art to inspire youth to take action on social and political issues. “Not everyone is going to listen to a speech or read a book, but people will listen to a three-min- ute song,” he says. SEATTLE/KING COUNTY MLK JR. CELEBRATION COMMITTEE MLK INFORMATION AND OPPORTUNITY FAIR Monday, January 18, 2016, 1:30-4:00 PM at Garfield High School Library Representatives from the city of Seattle, Washington State, King County, Sound Transit, Port of Seattle, United Negro College Fund, Seattle Colleges, University of Washington, Seattle Vocational Institue, King County Labor Council, Goodwill, and several unions will be avail- able to discuss opportunities in education, job training, apprenticeship programs, pre-ap- prenticeship programs, contract and business opportunities. For further information contact Eddie Rye Jr. 206-786-2763. Nationally, respected musicians such as Quest- love of the hip hop group The Roots have urged musicians to create more protest songs, and artists are responding. The truth of the matter is, musicians have more influence than I do, and even more influence than they had in the 1980s or 1960s. In the age of social media, the possibility of communication between musicians and their fans has been brought to an all time high. If young people see their favorite musician talking about social change, they might pay more attention to what is happening and be inclined to get involved “ they expect respect and non-violence/I refuse the right to be silent.” Fellow Long Beach rap- per Crooked I, recently going by Kxing Crooked, released “I Can’t Breathe” in which he raps, “So, no, I can’t buy that pellet gun/They might try to Tamir Rice you.” (Tamir Rice was a 12- year old Black boy who was killed by a police of- ficer in Cleveland) But lyrics about the current events aren’t just happening locally in Long Beach. Let’s go down the list: • Six days after Brown’s death, hip-hop artist J. Cole recorded and re- ens,” on “Black Rage,” which she released a couple weeks after Brown’s death. • The Game brought together over ten hip- hop and R&B artists including Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Wale, Swizz Beatz, Curren$y, and TGT to produce “Don’t Shoot.” • Tink sang and rapped on “Tell the Children” a few days after the grand jury decided not to indict Wilson for the murder. • Rapper Dizzy Wright also released a song called “I Need An- swers.” These songs are the Music can be considered the heartbeat of so- cial movements. Not everyone is going to lis- ten to a speech or read a book, but people will listen to a three-minute song in making a positive im- pact. In his song “Hands Up,” north Long Beach na- tive Vince Staples raps, “Raidin’ homes without a warrant/Shoot him first without a warning/And leased “Be Free.” • Lauryn Hill belted out the lyrics, “Black rage is founded on two- thirds a person/Rap- ings and beatings and suffering that wors- 21st century protest songs. While each of these songs were created as a response to the kill- ing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, they See MUSIC on page 11
